


Confrontation

by HiddenTohru



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-11
Updated: 2011-12-11
Packaged: 2017-10-27 05:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/292134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTohru/pseuds/HiddenTohru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After fleeing the city of Kirkwall, Thalia Hawke and Anders are forced to discuss what happened to the Chantry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confrontation

“Hawke.”

Thalia glanced over her shoulder at Aveline, but she did not turn, or put down the knife she was sharpening. She could feel every tense muscle in her body aching with the need to let go, to rest, but she wouldn’t let herself. Not yet.

Aveline sighed and moved forward, into her friend’s direct line of sight. “Hawke, are you sure –“

“Leave me alone, Aveline. What’s done is done.” Thalia felt the bitterness burn her tongue as she spit the words out.

“Fine. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. But you might think about what others beside yourself need.” Aveline shook her head and walked back toward the meager fire, where the others huddled more for shared apprehension than warmth.

Thalia lowered the blade in her hand and glanced after her red-haired friend, allowing a part of herself to admit the sting her words held. It was true, what she’d done had been for herself. She’d lost a good friend over it, and almost more than one. Now they were on the run, and she was their leader, but instead of leading, she merely sulked and sharpened her blades until they could almost cut through their scabbards.

She sheathed the knife she had been working on with a silent sigh, and stood up from the rock upon which she had sat, far enough away from camp that it was obvious she wanted to be alone, but close enough to be in sight. She turned and walked back to the fire, which Merrill was so vigilantly keeping shielded from prying eyes with her magic, and looked across the flames at Anders. He looked up and caught her eyes, held them for a moment, then stood up and circled the fire to stand before her. She turned and walked back the way she had come, knowing without looking that he would follow her.

When they had reached a fair distance, far enough that the others could not see or hear them, she felt his hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, then turned, brushing the hand away as he tried to touch her face with it.

He let it drop, his face unreadable. “Well. I expected this sooner or later. Would you prefer I leave now, so I can lead the remaining templars on our trail astray, or should I wait until the morning, so they have a clear target?”

Thalia’s eyes narrowed, and she heard her voice, harsher than she’d intended. “Oh, you’d bloody love that, wouldn’t you? Getting to be a martyr for your precious cause. Getting to take the easy way out after all, after I spared your life in Kirkwall!”

He flinched as if she’d swung a fist instead of merely speaking, but his face remained hard. “Why did you, then? I thought you believed in my ‘cause’ as much as I do.”

“That’s not fair! You bloody well know why! And don’t throw what I said then back in my face, either! I was being Hawke, the fearless leader, choosing the best path out of what I could see in front of me, but don’t you DARE tell me it was easy.” She turned away, scrubbing angrily at her eyes as the tears came, unbidden. Her shoulders began to shake with suppressed weariness and anger, and she couldn’t stop them. “How could I kill the man I love? The man I’ve spent so many years with, shared my life with, the man I thought I could trust!”

He sighed. “I told you why I couldn’t share it with you. You would’ve tried to stop me. It was the only way.”

She turned to face him again, rage evident in every line of her body. “You know that’s not true! You, of all people, you know there’s always another choice! You could have trusted me! I was the Champion, Maker forgive me, and I could have done anything I wanted!”

“Then why didn’t you?! Why didn’t you throw your lot in with Orsino when he first made a stand? Why didn’t you stand up to Meredith before she went insane and forced good mages to give their lives in what they thought was a futile last gasp before death?! You could have stopped it! But you didn’t! You wanted to play politician, act like nothing would go wrong. Well I made a decision. It may have been the wrong one, but at least I made it!”

Thalia stared at him in shock for a moment, then gathered her wits and set her jaw. “And what would have happened if I openly defied the Knight-Commander, then? How long do you think she would have let me keep an apostate under my roof before she came after us?”

Anders opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. She advanced, still trembling, pressing her advantage as she had so often in battle. “I lost my sister to the circle, Anders. She may have been alive but she was only so because the Viscount was merciful. Meredith would have killed you, or worse. I could not let that happen.” She reached up to touch his face, looking into his eyes, which held as much fear and weariness as her own. “Maker and my mother forgive me for loving an apostate, but I had to keep you safe.”

Her lover closed his eyes, took her hand in his own and kissed it. “I don’t deserve you. I never did.”

When he made as if to cast her hand away, she tightened her grip. “Shut up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. I chose you, Anders. You didn’t trick me into loving you. You didn’t use blood magic, or a love potion. I could’ve had my pick of any man or woman in Kirkwall, you know. I chose you. You’re stuck with me. So stop trying to force me away.”

He shook his head, then smiled at her. “I still don’t deserve you. But Maker help me, I can’t let you go.” He pulled her into the kiss, and both of them felt tension ease from their bodies as they lingered on the familiar feeling.

When she finally pulled back, Thalia smiled and stroked his cheek. “You are aware that twins run in my family, right?”

Anders blinked, confusion showing on his face. “Twins? What- Maker’s breath! You don’t mean-“

“We’d better find a place soon. I want to make sure we make it before I can’t keep my balance anymore.” She winked at him. “Now let’s get back. I don’t want them to think we’ve killed each other already when we still have so much ground to cover.” She took his hand, and led her dumb-founded lover back the way they had come.


End file.
